Earth Protect Blog

California to ban pesticide it says hurts babies’ brains

Shared from the 5/9/2019 The Denver Post eEdition

By Brian Melley The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES» The nation’s most productive agricultural state moved Wednesday to ban a controversial pesticide widely used to control a range of insects but blamed for harming brain development in babies.

The move cheered by environmentalists would outlaw chlorpyrifos after scientists deemed it a toxic air contaminant and discovered it to be more dangerous than previously thought. California Environmental Secretary Jared Blumenfeld said it’s the first time the state has sought to ban a pesticide and the move was overdue.

“This pesticide is a neurotoxin, and it was first put on the market in 1965,” Blumenfeld said.

“So it’s been on the shelf a long time, and it’s past its sell-by date.”

The decision comes after regulators in several states have taken steps in recent years to restrict the pesticide used on about 60 crops in California, including grapes, almonds and oranges. Hawaii banned it last year, and New York lawmakers recently sent a measure to the governor outlawing use of the pesticide.

DowDuPont, which produces the pesticide, said it was disappointed with the decision and that farmers who rely on the pesticide say it will hurt their ability to control insects.

“It’s a very important part of the crop protection tool box,” said Casey Creamer, president of California Citrus Mutual, which represents 5,000 growers. “We’re fighting for our lives here trying to protect ourselves from deadly diseases, and we keep losing tools.”

Creamer questioned the scientific studies behind the decision and said removing the pesticide could hurt efforts to prevent a pest such as the Asian citrus psyllid from decimating the citrus industry in California like it did in much of Florida. The pest infects citrus trees with a fatal disease.